


Should We Be Doing

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-02-03
Updated: 2002-02-03
Packaged: 2019-05-15 13:39:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14791529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Josh and Donna. Sam and Mallory. A telecommunications bill, amateurspy tactics and restroom rendezvous. Who knew so much happened in the WestWing after hours.





	Should We Be Doing

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

Should We Be Doing This?  
by Vicki James, 2000  


******

Summary: Josh and Donna. Sam and Mallory. A telecommunications bill, amateur  
spy tactics and restroom rendezvous. Who knew so much happened in the West  
Wing after hours. <g>

******

The West Wing and its characters are the property of Aaron Sorkin, John  
Wells Productions and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement is  
intended.

Please do not post or redistribute this story without the author's  
permission.

******

The White House deputy chief of staff and his assistant were burning the  
midnight oil, and that hour had just come and gone.

Donna sat at her desk. Encircling her on the floor were stacks of files and  
volumes of reference books. Josh's office was equally awash with materials.  
They were searching for an elusive referral, a proverbial needle in a  
haystack, that Josh had thought he'd remembered reading at some point in  
time that could affect the passing of the telecommunications bill.

Although it was a minor reference, Josh worried that if brought up it could  
stall the bill unless he had a plan of counterattack ready. As such, he was  
not willing to rest until he found the notation. Donna was quite willing to  
rest, but Josh wasn't going to let her until their task was completed.

Taking another swig of lukewarm coffee, Donna made a face into her mug. She  
sat back in her chair for a moment and brushed her hair away from her face.

"Josh, tell me again why I'm doing this," she called out.

"Because it's important to the president, and therefore important to me and  
important to you," came the reply from beyond the office door.

"No," Donna clarified. "I mean, tell me what you promised me you'd do  
because I'm staying so late to help you out."

She heard a groan. "Donna, you know."

"But I want to hear it again."

"Fine," Josh said. The sound of a book being snapped shut proceeded Josh's  
appearance at the doorway to his office. He leaned against the doorframe and  
crossed his arms. "I am taking you out for a nice dinner at Sequoia followed  
by a show at the Kennedy Center."

"And…" Donna prompted.

Josh sighed. "And I am going to help you paint your apartment."

Donna grinned. "That's good because I was thinking of maybe doing something  
with a border-"

"No. I said I would paint. That's it. Just a can of paint, a roller and  
maybe, *maybe* one of those little edge painting tools, but nothing more."

"Well, that's just boring." Donna pouted.

"Donna! Some nights I do like to go home for a while, you know. This would  
be one of them. Find the reference."

"Fine." Donna picked up another file as Josh disappeared back into his  
office.

Quiet descended again, save for the hum of computers and the nearly  
inaudible sounds of traffic passing by far away outside. They worked in  
silence like this for another ten minutes until Donna suddenly jumped up.

"Josh!" she called. "I've got it!"

"Donna, no. No borders, no wainscoting, no fancy little designs."

"No," she said, skirting the files laid out around her desk to head towards  
his office. "I mean I've found the reference."

"You've found the reference?" Josh was up and at his door in a flash.

"I've found the reference!" Donna cried victoriously.

"Way to go!" Josh whooped, opening his arms to her.

Donna hugged him and he spun her around a bit in exuberance as she laughed.  
Then he set her back down, put his hands on either side of her face and  
placed a smacking kiss on her lips.

Suddenly Donna's smile faded as she pulled back from him. Their eyes met and  
a moment later their lips did too. This kiss was as intense and serious as  
the first had been playful and lighthearted.

A long moment later Donna pulled away.

"Wait," she breathed softly. "Should we be doing this?"

"I don't know," Josh replied.

"Should we try it again to see if that helps us make a determination?"  
suggested Donna.

"Okay."

Where the first kiss had lasted moments, the next lasted minutes. This time  
Josh drew away.

"I think we definitely *should* be doing this," he whispered.

"Oh yeah," Donna agreed.

Josh pulled her into his office and down onto the carpeted floor.

******

"Hey Josh, are you *still* here?" a voice called out from the other side of  
the bullpen.

Josh's head shot up at the sound.

"Sam?" he mouthed to Donna.

"Did you fall asleep in there or something?" The voice was coming closer.

"Sam!" Josh gasped. He rolled off of Donna who was frantically trying to  
arrange her clothing when Sam walked through the door.

"Whoa!" said Sam.

"Yeah," said Josh, getting to his feet.

"Hey," mumbled Donna, also rising then rushing past the two of them and out  
the door.

"Should you be doing that?" Sam watched Donna leave before turning back to  
Josh.

Josh ran a hand over his face, his eyes still trailing after Donna. "Huh?"

"I mean, she does work for you and all. You know what's said about the  
dangers of office romances," Sam offered.

Josh shot him a withering look. "And I should be taking advice on my love  
life from a guy who slept with a Washington call girl and then started  
dating his boss's daughter?"

"Point taken," Sam replied.

Once again Josh's gaze wandered out of the office in the direction Donna had  
gone.

Sam gestured in that direction. "Maybe you should..."

"Yeah."

******

Donna burst into the washroom and nearly screamed at the sight of another  
woman sitting quietly by the vanity area.

"Mallory!" she said, a hand going to her heart. "What are you doing here?"

"Shhh!" Mallory replied, a finger on her lips. "Not so loud."

"Okay," Donna whispered. "Why are you here?"

"I went to the fundraiser tonight with my dad and I had to come back here to  
get my car. I came in to use the washroom."

"Why are we whispering?" Donna asked, still whispering.

"I don't want Sam to know I'm here. He'll think I'm spying on him."

"Why are you still here?"

"I'm spying on Sam."

"Mallory..." Donna shook her head.

"I know, I know," Mallory protested, raising a hand. "It's silly. But he  
kept looking at his watch tonight and all I kept thinking was that he had a  
liaison with his little friend Laurie to get to."

"Laurie is just his friend," Donna told her. "If you're ever going to start  
any sort of relationship with Sam you're going to have to trust him. And I  
know he would love to be able to start something with you."

"You're right," Mallory agreed. She eyed Donna. "Why are you here?"

"Here as in at the office? Because I was working late with Josh. Here as in  
the washroom? Because I just kissed Josh."

Mallory's jaw dropped. "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, forgetting her request  
for quiet. "That's so great!"

"Yeah?" Donna asked.

"Well yeah!" Mallory confirmed. "The two of you; it's so obvious."

"Yeah," Donna agreed, nodding. "Maybe I should go inform Josh of that." She  
stepped up to the mirror to make sure her appearance was in order.

Mallory rose from her seat. "I'm going to go let Sam know I'm going to trust  
him. Without actually telling him that, of course. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Donna replied as Mallory walked out the door.

******

Donna left the washroom a minute later, rounded a corner in the hallway and  
ran almost headlong into Josh.

"Hey," he said, grabbing her by the shoulders. "I was looking for you."

"I was coming to find you."

"So," Josh began, studying her face. "About what happened..."

"You mean this?" Donna asked, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Or this?"  
she continued, placing a kiss at the side of his mouth. "Or maybe this?" Her  
lips moved to his ear lobe.

"Ah..." Josh stammered, his voice sounded strangled. "Yeah, all of that."

"All of this is a good thing, Joshua," Donna whispered in his ear.

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"Okay." Josh pulled her closer to him. "But this still doesn't mean I'm  
wallpapering your apartment or anything."

"Shut up," Donna said, and helped to effectively silence him.

******

Sam froze in his tracks when he entered his office and saw who was sitting  
behind his desk.

"Hi Sam." Mallory smiled at him.

"Mallory. You're sitting here in my office," Sam observed.

"Yes."

"It's one o'clock in the morning."

Mallory shrugged. "Well you're here too."

"I had to come back to the office to grab a file. Which makes some sense as  
I do work here."

"I had to come back here to get my car and my dad got security to let me in  
to use the washroom. Which makes sense as he works here too."

"And now you're in my office," Sam declared.

"I've been waiting for you," Mallory told him. "Come here."

Sam eyed her warily. "Are you still mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you, Sam."

"Because I know you were mad when the press ran that picture of Laurie and  
me," he continued.

"I'm not mad at you, Sam," Mallory assured him.

"But honestly, Laurie and I are just friends."

"Sam," Mallory commanded. "Come here."

"What are you going to do?" Sam hesitated.

Mallory crooked her finger at him. "Just come here."

Keeping a close watch on her, Sam took a couple of steps toward her. When he  
was close enough, Mallory reached out and grabbed him by the shirtfront. She  
pulled him toward her across the desk until her lips found his. Then she  
relaxed her hold on him.

She didn't need to keep a tight grasp on him. Sam wasn't struggling.

******

Much later that morning, Donna arrived back at the office and made her way  
to the washroom. Upon entering she saw Mallory standing at the vanity  
putting drops in her eyes.

"Morning," Donna called cheerfully. She joined Mallory in front of the  
mirror, fishing a tube of concealer out of her bag. "I've been running into  
you in here more than people I actually work with."

Mallory smiled and gave Donna an appraising look. Her shirt was different,  
but the rest of her attire looked familiar.

"Is that the same suit you wore yesterday?" Mallory asked.

"Yeah," Donna said, pausing in the application of her make-up to assess the  
other woman. "You?"

"Yeah," Mallory admitted.

The women's gazes met in the mirror as they exchanged secret grins.

******

The End 


End file.
